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Filed under: Lifestyle, Australia, Celebrities

Top Gear Australia already in trouble after two episodes



So we've downloaded the first two episodes of Top Gear Australia, and our assessment of the series so far seems to be right in line with how Aussie nationals are receiving their own home brew version of the wildly popular Brit-based car show. Viewership for the first episode that aired September 29th was estimated to be around 925,000 blokes, and while producers were hoping to crack the 1 million mark with episode two, viewership for the show last Sunday actually fell to 674,000. For those averse to bittorrenting, we can tell you that while episode two was a big improvement over the series premier, it was still very awkward to watch these Australian impersonators of Jezza, Hampster and Captain Slow recite their poorly written scripts for an audience that didn't know when to laugh.

Episode two does have a segment comparing the Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon, but while you would think that match up is important enough to devote a 13-part mini-series to, Top Gear Australia's coverage is no longer than a quick bathroom break and not very insightful. In fact, after drag racing and brake testing both cars side-by-side, for some reason they decide to lap the track with just the Falcon and never hands either of them over to the Stig.

Speaking of which, while a Stig is a Stig is a Stig when they're all wearing white suits, the Top Gear Australia test track on which the great one drives is a poor substitute for the original. It's got too many long straights and not enough turns, and the show's camera placement that should show off how a car moves is not flattering at all.

We give the show a C so far and will continue watching (err, downloading) to see if it gets better. We hope it does, otherwise we won't have much to look forward to when our own Top Gear USA airs.

[Source: AdAge via Jalopnik]

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